The present invention relates to a method for attracting cockroaches to an object or area, involving treating the object or area with a cockroach attracting composition containing a cockroach attracting effective amount of at least one compound selected from methyl, ethyl, propyl, or butyl esters of C3-7 saturated or unsaturated carboxylic acids or mixtures thereof, and optionally a carrier material or carrier. The present invention also relates to a method for repelling cockroaches from an object or area, involving treating said object or area with a cockroach repelling composition containing a cockroach repelling effective amount of at least one compound selected from methyl, ethyl, propyl, or butyl esters of C3-7 saturated or unsaturated carboxylic acids or mixtures thereof, and optionally a carrier material or carrier.
Cockroaches are perhaps the most common and troublesome household pest in the United States (ranked second worst urban pest insect, just behind pest ants) and most of the world. Cockroaches are not only a nuisance in the home but also can spread disease organisms from garbage, sewers, and other sources to human food that can then cause dysentery, food poisoning, and diarrhea. In addition, some of the most common allergens in homes are from the cockroach and its feces, which cause allergic rhinitis and asthma.
Currently, there are two approaches to controlling cockroaches. One approach uses liquid sprays containing pesticide that are sprayed where cockroaches are likely to travel or seek harborage. This approach relies on the cockroach coming in contact with the pesticide. The other approach is the use of bait products, e.g. “roach motels”. The two methods may be used by themselves or in combination, and the applicator may be a pest control operator (PCO) or homeowner. It is estimated that over US$500 M worth of “roach motels” are sold every year worldwide, and it is estimated that the combined “spray” and “roach motel” market exceeds US$1.3 billion annually.
An attractant is a chemical that causes an organism (e.g., cockroach) to make oriented movement towards its source. Currently, there are no commercially available cockroach attractants used in cockroach control. The term attractant is often erroneously used in reference to phagostimulants (food) that must be found randomly, e.g., by cockroaches, or must be placed in an area known to be frequently visited by cockroaches. Most of the published “attractant” formulations have involved the use of cockroach feces which is not commercially practical and may add to allergic rhinitis and asthma problems already associated with cockroach feces. U.S. Pat. No. 5,665,370 describes methods to collect and to sterilize the active ingredients in cockroach feces and to separate them into sterilized attractants and aggregation pheromones. This is an improvement but not commercially satisfactory. U.S. Pat. No. 5,505,591 describes numerous synthetic pyrans and also mentions three sex pheromones: periplanone B, periplanone A, and periplanone J. U.S. Pat. No. 5,126,128 describes Periplanone-B analogues with pheromone activity. Simpler chemicals are found in U.S. Pat. No. 5,384,120 where propyl cyclohexyl acetate was utilized as an aggregation pheromone for the German cockroach and the combination of isobornyl acetate and santalol alone or in conjunction with propyl cyclohexyl acetate were utilized for attracting cockroaches. These acetates, pyrans, and pheromone analogues represent the state of the art. However, they are still inadequate.
Thus there is a need to develop cockroach attractants that are based on simple chemicals and processes and that provide safe and effective cockroach attraction as well as delivery systems that can provide an effective dose over a reasonable period of time.